TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iranian fencers have emerged the champion of the 2018 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) University Fencing Championship, having received 17 medals, including five gold ones, at the international tournament.Iran’s Farzad Baher Arasbaran overcame his opponents in the men’s sabre contests and struck the gold medal on the final day of the competitions in the western Malaysian town of Nilai.Nima Zahedi and Javad Mirhosseini also got the silver and bronze medals respectively.In the women’s foil discipline, Iranian fencers Motahareh Mohseni was awarded the gold medal.Negin Kafi and Sarvenaz Mortazavi, also from the Islamic Republic of Iran, collected the silver and bronze medals.A foil is one of the three weapons used in fencing, which is flexible, rectangular in cross section and weighs less than a pound (0.453 kilogram).As with the épée, points are only scored by contact with the tip, which in electrically scored tournaments is capped with a spring-loaded button to signal a touch.A foil fencer's uniform features the lame – an electrically conductive jacket wired to define the scoring area and record hits.Earlier, Iranian fencers had delivered great displays of physical skills and agility, and managed to collect nearly a dozen medals.Sabre is a light cutting and thrusting weapon in the sport of fencing. In the sabre section, the entire body above the waist, except the weapon hand, is targeted. Hits with the entire blade or point are valid. Touches that land outside of the target area are not scored.The 2018 ASEAN University Fencing Championship started on March 8, and finished on March 11.The tournament attracted male and female fencers from Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand took part in the sports event.